External Video Card?

[Wackymon]

I'm just wondering, can somebody explain Video Cards for me?... And explain to me the best External Video cards... (Preferably powerful enough to run Source Film Maker...).
Also, discussion, what's the stupidest question about computers you've ever been asked.

 

[DoPo]

Well, "normal" or rather "all" video cards are just extra processing power tailored towards dealing with graphics, to put it simply. It has a processor, probably more than one, in fact, probably a lot of them (32 core cards are not at all uncommon, even 64 core ones, there are certainly 128 ones, I'd assume 256 aren't out of the question) plus some RAM and stuff. All this dedicated to make shiny images for your screen at very high speed - faster than what you'd get if you hog the processor only (which also inhibits the general productivity of your system).

Hmm, dunno much about external video cards, though, so I'd better just skip that.

I guess I can at least bump up the thread for somebody more competent to answer.

Also, discussion, what's the stupidest question about computers you've ever been asked.

"If we move this computer to the next room, will we still have all our data on it?" - my neighbours asking me to help with moving their PC

"If you send this [email with a song - that is an e-card] will their computer start playing it immediately?" - my grandmother worrying I might wake up my uncle if I send him an email greeting at an inappropriate time.

 

[Darknacht]

External video cards(at least the ones I have seen for desktops) allow you to add an additional monitor to your computer through a USB port. They typical can't run anything that is very graphics intensive(you are running the data out a USB port), normal you would just use them to display text documents, spreadsheets, webpages and what not. If you want to run anything more then a simple web site on it just get an internal one it will be cheaper and work much better.
If you're looking at it for a laptop there are eGPU docks that you attach through the ExpressCard slot and then you just buy a normal graphics card and plug it in. It still will be significantly slower than an internal card so make sure you get a card that could easily run what you want not just the minimum requirements.